


See You Again

by SilverSickle30304



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Coupzi, Jicheol, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-05-29 10:05:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6370573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverSickle30304/pseuds/SilverSickle30304
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jihoon wants the best for Seungcheol’s success. He wants his boyfriend to live his dream of taking over his father’s company, but at what expense? Is he truly supporting Seungcheol, or is he bringing him down. Jihoon will have to make a decision that can change their future forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Promotion

**Author's Note:**

> You know that big jicheol project that I was putting off, well this is it.

Seungcheol opened the door to his apartment in a rush. He had good news to share with his boyfriend. Seungcheol was getting his big break. After years of training under his father’s management, he was finally going to have the chance to live his dream and take over his father’s company as a producer. He was ecstatic when he heard the news. The first thing he did was run straight home where he could tell Jihoon, his boyfriend of several years. 

“Jihoon?” says Seungcheol as he closes the door and pokes his head in the kitchen. No Jihoon there, so he checked the bathroom and still no Jihoon. After a few minutes of searching, he finally found Jihoon sitting by the porch with a pile of homework in his hands. “Jihoon!” says Seungcheol as he startles the younger male. He hugs Jihoon from behind as he looks at Jihoon. “Cheol, you scared me!” says Jihoon as he lifts his head so he can see Seungcheol.

“Sorry, I was just in a rush to come home. How was your day?”

“Well, college is college. I’ve got tons of homework. And I don’t go to work today, so it was pretty okay. What about you?”

“Today was great.  Guess what?”

“What?” asked Jihoon as he could sense the level of excitement in Seungcheol’s voice.

“Well, guess,” says Seungcheol as he takes a seat next to Jihoon. Meanwhile, Jihoon is just staring into space with a concentrated look. Seungcheol thinks Jihoon looks absolutely adorable when he’s deep in thought. “Um…” says Jihoon but nothing comes to mind. After a few minutes he gets impatient.  “I dunno just tell me,” he says as he too begins to get excited as well.  “Well, you know how I’ve been training to take over my dad’s company right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I have a meeting with his board of directors. If it goes well, I can finally take over,” he says as Jihoon eyes widen. Seungcheol’s worked so hard for this day to come. Jihoon has seen how many hours he’s put into the company.

“That’s great!” he says as he flings his arms tightly around Seungcheol’s neck and hugs him tightly. Jihoon feels so proud of him. Since the day Jihoon met Seungcheol in elementary school, he knew Seungcheol would grow up to be someone important. He knew that Seungcheol had so much potential.

“This is the second best thing that ever happened to me,” says Seungcheol as Jihoon looks at him.  “What was the first?” he asks.

“Meeting you,’ is all Seungcheol says as Jihoon’s face flushes completely. Seungcheol can be such a sap sometime, well more like all of the times. But in this case, he can agree with what Seungcheol has said, so he’ll let it slide.

“You’re such a sap,” says Jihoon as he removes himself from Seungcheol’s grasp. He brings them both inside the living room as they take a seat on the couch.

“So when’s the meeting?”

“Well, that’s the thing; I’ll be gone for probably two weeks. I have to leave by tomorrow,” says Seungcheol as he looks at Jihoon.  “What do you mean by leave for two weeks? Isn’t the meeting here in Seoul?”

“No, my dad says that the meeting is going to be held in Tokyo.”

Huh, that’s weird. Since the company is located here in Seoul, it’s weird that they’re having a meeting in another place. “Oh,” is all Jihoon says. “So um what time are you and your father leaving,” says Jihoon as he feels as if something weird is going on. “He’s not going with me,” says Seungcheol with a disappointed look.  

Why?”

“Well, he says that he has something important to do here, so I’ll have to go with one of his representatives,” say Seungcheol as Jihoon looks confused. Shouldn’t his father go with him since it’s about his company? This all seems weird to Jihoon. He’s not very fond of Seungcheol’s father and he doesn’t exactly understand the whole business management thing, but he doesn’t want to questions Mr. Choi’s decisions. “Are you okay?” asks Seungcheol as he looks at Jihoon with a worried expression.

“Yeah, I am. I just don’t know how I’ll be able to survive without you for two weeks is all.” And it’s true. Jihoon and Seungcheol have been together since well since forever. He doesn’t remember a single day when he wasn’t with Seungcheol. Two weeks might not seem like much to an average person, but to Jihoon, It felt like a lifetime.

 “I don’t have to go if that’s-” Seungcheol starts to say but he’s interrupted by Jihoon.  “Of course you have to go. You’ve waited for so long for this day to come. You’re going,” says Jihoon as he puts on a smile and kisses Seungcheol on the cheek. This is about Seungcheol, not him. He has to be there for Seungcheol, every step of the way.

“Okay, but I’m nervous. What if I-”

“No, don’t think about ‘what ifs’. You’ll do great, I know it. Now, we should start packing so you can be ready to leave in the morning,” says Jihoon as he starts to raise himself from Seungcheol’s lap. He grabs Seungcheol’s hand as he directs him to the room they both share.

“What about you college assignments?” Seungcheol asks.

“It can wait.”

They spend the rest of the day packing Seungcheol’s luggage as Seungcheol tries to sneak in spider-man pajamas on various occasions, but Jihoon has a quick eye. “You’re not bringing those to Japan,” he says as Seungcheol pouts. “But they’re comfortable and they’ll remind me of home,” Seungcheol says as Jihoon laughs. Jihoon lifts his wrist as he takes off his bracelet. He walks over to Seungcheol as he lifts his arm and ties it around Seungcheol’s wrist. “Here,” he says as Seungcheol looks at the metallic bracelet that is now around his wrist. Seungcheol stares at it for a while as he looks to Jihoon.

“What’s this for?”

Jihoon stay silent for a while. He’s embarrassed to say it, but he does anyway. “Well, you’re always saying how no matter where you are, as long as I’m with you, you’re home. So if you can take a piece of me with you then you won’t have to bring those pajamas,” Jihoon finishes saying as he feels his face flush again. He’s never said something so cheesy in his life. Even if he’s just restating something Seungcheol’s said, it still makes him feel embarrassed.

“Aww, you remembered,” says Seungcheol as he sports a bright smile. Jihoon feels like he can practically die of embarrassment at this moment. “Well, you say it all the time, so yeah I was bound to memorize it,” Jihoon says as he tries to hide his face with his hands.

“Don’t hide away. I like it. I promise I won’t lose it,” says Seungcheol as he brings Jihoon’s hands down to look at him in the eyes. Jihoon sighs as he looks at Seungcheol. “You’re not even leaving yet and I want to cry already,” he says as Seungcheol brings him closer and hugs him tightly. They’ve already packed enough clothes for the trip so they leave the suit case discarded by the chair. Seungcheol slowly carries Jihoon bridal styles as he gently places Jihoon on the bed and climbs on behind him. He wraps his arms around Jihoon from behind as he sighs.

“It’ll be okay,” he says as he tries to reassure him. “I’ll be back before you know it,” he says as they both fall asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

Jihoon wakes up the sound of the alarm clock as he lazily gets up from his comfortable spot on the bed. He rubs his eyes as he looks around the room. It’s seven in the morning and it takes Jihoon quite some time before he remembers what happened yesterday. He yawns as he shakes Seungcheol who’s still sleeping soundly.

“Cheol,” says Jihoon as he tries to wake him up. It takes him a few tries to wake the older male, but after a good five minutes or so, he’s able to successfully wake him up. Seungcheol opens his eyes as Jihoon looks down on him. “Get up. It’s almost eight and you need to leave pretty soon,” says Jihoon as Seungcheol gets up hesitantly. He just wants to sleep in today, but he can’t. He has a very important meeting to get to, so he walks into the bathroom as Jihoon walks over to the kitchen. By the time Seungcheol’s already finished showering and brushing his teeth, Jihoon has already placed the breakfast on the table.

Seungcheol walks into the kitchen as he puts on the bracelet that Jihoon had given him yesterday. “I can’t believe I’m already doing this,” says Seungcheol as he sits by the counter. Jihoon places a plate in front of him as Seungcheol just pokes it around with his fork.

“Not hungry?” asks Jihoon as he stands on the opposite of the counter. He rests his head on his hands as he looks at Seungcheol. “I’m nervous,” says Seungcheol as his stomach starts turning. Jihoon walks over to Seungcheol and he puts both hands on his shoulders.

“Repeat after me, I Choi Seungcheol will do my best to remain confident and I know that I will succeed.”

“I Choi Seungcheol will do my best to remain confident and I know that I will succeed,” repeated Seungcheol. Jihoon kissed Seungcheol on the lips as he took the plate and put it in the sink. He looked at the clocked, which read 8:30. If Seungcheol wanted to make it on time, he would have to leave right now.

“I should probably leave now,” says Seungcheol as his expression is a mix between being nervous, excited, and sad. He gets up from his place on the chair and walks over to the room where he picks up his suitcase. He walks over to Jihoon as he gives him a tight hug and a kiss on the lips.

“I love you,” he says as Jihoon walks him over to the door.

“I love you too,” replies Jihoon as they share one last kiss and Seungcheol walks out the door. Once Jihoon see’s Seungcheol descend the stairs and away from his view, Jihoon closes the door behind him. As he predicted, Seungcheol hasn’t even been gone for five minutes but he already misses him.

* * *

Jihoon’s never realized how boring his day can be without his boyfriend around. Granted, it’s only been a day, but a day’s enough for Jihoon to realize that I’ll be tough without Seungcheol for two weeks. Hours pass by as Jihoon tries his best to occupy himself, but it doesn’t work. He should go out with his friends, but he doesn’t feel like doing that today. He’ll probably call his friend Soonyoung tomorrow if he’s not too busy doing other things.

Jihoon sighs as he walks around the apartment aimlessly. He’s tried watching television but that doesn’t work. Jihoon looks at the clock to see that it’s only been two hours since Seungcheol left. He’s tried texting Seungcheol to see if he’s already on his flight, but so far there’s been no reply.

Jihoon was about to start playing games on his phone when he heard a knock on the door. He wasn’t expecting any visitors. He thinks it might be Soonyoung since he has a tendency of just popping up at random times. ‘He’s probably put himself in another situation he needs help getting out of’ thought Jihoon as he walks over to the door. He laughed at the thought of Soonyoung getting in trouble yet again.

“Soonyoung I can’t always help you get out o-” Jihoon’s voice dies out as he realizes that it’s not Soonyoung who’s at the door, but Seungcheol’s father. His stops smiling as he looks up at Mr. Choi.

“Jihoon,” is all he says as he enters the apartment without waiting to be invited. Jihoon closes the door behind him as he follow Seungcheol’s father into the living room.

“If you’re looking for Seungcheol, he already-”

“Left, yes I know. I actually came here to speak with you.” Oh boy, this could not be good. If Jihoon knows one thing, it’s that Seungcheol’s father is a real hard ass. He never approved of Seungcheol’s relationship with Jihoon. No matter how hard he tried to prove himself to him, it always failed. He just didn’t get along with the man.

“What can I do for you?” asks Jihoon as he tries to muster a polite attitude.

“Well, it’s not much what you can do for me, but what you can do for Seungcheol,” says the older man as he sits down on the couch.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, as you know, this fling that you have with Seungcheol-”

“It’s not a fling,” says Jihoon through gritted teeth.

“Seungcheol and I are in a serious relationship,” says Jihoon defensively.

“Of course you are,” says Mr. Choi in a sarcastic tone.

“As I was saying, this _thing_ you have with Seungcheol is not right. I do believe Seungcheol has told you about his promotion?” says Mr. Choi as Jihoon nods.

“It’s a matter of time before Seungcheol becomes the head of my company, and this thing with you two has to stop. Every company needs an heir, so that someday they can take over as well. For me, it’s Seungcheol. If you remain with my son, the same cannot be said about him,” said Mr. Choi with an air of arrogance.

“I don’t think you under-” begins Jihoon, but he’s quickly interrupted.

“No, it’s you who doesn’t understand. You see, my son is confused right now. He’s not fully aware of what he’s doing with himself and that involves this relationship. He’s obviously confused about what he wants. He needs a pretty woman to wed. He needs children. If he stays with you, his life will crumble.”

Jihoon sits quietly as he listens to ever word that comes out of the man’s mouth. It’s not true; Seungcheol loves Jihoon. “You’re wrong,” he says as the older man laughs.

“No, you’re wrong. You see, right now my son is having a meeting with important people. If they close the deal and they see Seungcheol fit to be the next CEO, well his career can take off, but not while they see the kind of person he’s dating. You’re not worthy of my son and to be honest I never even approved of your friendship. It’ll be better if you cut ties with Seungcheol,” he says as he slowly gets up.

“Truthfully, the meeting could have been held here in Seoul, but I decided to have it in Tokyo to give you some time to think about this. If you really love my son, you’ll leave him alone. My staff has confiscated his phone so you can think things through without the influence of my son.  He’s young and he thinks he’s in love, so he’ll try to convince you to stay. What you two have going on is not love. It’s a disgrace. Think about this. You can give him the life he deserves by leaving him and going far away from here. He’s probably already meeting a pretty young lady already. Think about it,” he says as Jihoon’s blood starts to boil.

“I don’t need to think this through because I’m not leaving his side. So thank you, but no thank you. If you can leave my apartmen-”

“You’re apartment? Don’t make me laugh. You’re a college student who works the afternoons at a small shop,” he begins. Jihoon knows where he’s taking it and he does his best no to cry.

“You can barely afford this apartment. While you believe you’re paying your half of the rent, you’re really not. This room costs more than you can earn in three years. Seungcheol only makes you believe that you’re paying half, but in reality you’re only paying a small percent.”

Okay, now Jihoon can’t stop the tears from rolling. “Don’t you see? You’re weighing him down. This isn’t what he needs and you know it. You have two weeks to think about this,” he says as he reaches the door.

“Oh and it would be preferable if you don’t mention this to anyone. This is between you and me.” And with that he closes the door behind him as he leaves Jihoon in a crying state.

No, this can’t be true. He’s not weighing Seungcheol down. He’s worked hard to balance college and a job so he could help pay for as much expenses as possible. Seungcheol wouldn’t be with him if he was only impeding his chances of succeeding would he?


	2. Sleepless Nights

Yesterday was a pretty hard day for Jihoon. He tried to forget everything that was said. He had never let the old man get to him, but what he said yesterday had taken a toll on him. Jihoon tried to console himself.’ _It’s not true. Seungcheol loves me and I love him. I can’t be bringing him down.’_ Those were the thoughts that plagued Jihoon’s mind, but they didn’t help. He could barely sleep last night. He spent most of the night in tears. Those harmful words played over and over in his mind like a broken record. He slept for what seemed like an hour until he realized that was about as much sleep he would get that night. He stayed awake all night looking at the ceiling in front of him. Was Mr. Choi telling the truth? There was only one way to figure out, he had to check the lease of the apartment. If what the old man was saying about the lease was true, and Seungcheol was actually maintaining Jihoon, then that would mean that the rest would be true also. It’s not that Jihoon cares about money, it’s just he doesn’t like to be a burden. Seungcheol’s a kind person, a gentle soul, but he has plenty of money and Jihoon is broke. He loves Seungcheol for who he is and not the money he has. Even if Seungcheol was on the same financial boat as him, he would still love him dearly. The thing is, when Jihoon agreed to move in with Seungcheol, Jihoon made it clear that he would pay his half of the rent and expenses.

Jihoon walks over to the drawer near the bed as he looks through the various files that Seungcheol has yet to clean out. He looks for a good thirty minutes before he finally finds the lease statement all the way at the bottom. Jihoon’s heart started to beat furiously, he desperately hopes that Mr. Choi was wrong about this, but even Jihoon found it hard to believe that such a nice apartment could be so cheap. He scanned the block letters as he finally came to the last line where the price was located. Jihoon’s eyes practically popped out of his eye sockets. This apartment cost more than Jihoon had every made in his entire time working down at the store. Seungcheol was practically paying for everything.

Mr. Choi was actually right.

Jihoon slowly dropped the paper on his lap. Mr. Choi was dead on right. If this was true then the rest had to be true as well, right? Jihoon slowly stood up. He wasn’t even paying for a portion of the rent. He was practically taking advantage of Seungcheol’s kindness. Even if he wasn’t aware of it, he felt as if that was true. He couldn’t speak to Seungcheol about it since he phone was confiscated, so he was alone. What is he going to do?

* * *

The first week went agonizingly slow. Jihoon refused to sleep on the bed because that wasn’t his bed, that was bed that Seungcheol paid for.  He couldn’t eat because that was the food that Seungcheol bought. The only thing that Jihoon could eat was the fruits that he had bought a while ago at the farmers market. Only his clothes, phone, and school supplies truly belonged to him. The rest was all Seungcheol’s. He couldn’t use any of it. The only thing he could do was take money out of his wallet for whatever he used that belonged to Seungcheol. If he used the restroom, he would set money aside to leave for Seungcheol to pick up. If he used the shower, the same would be done for that. Every time he used the running water in the apartment, it would be another twenty or so dollars taken out of his wallet.

 The week was almost over and he couldn’t take it any longer. He felt guilty. How could he not see that he was a financial burden on Seungcheol? How could he be so naïve? Jihoon started to remember things he hadn’t before. Seungcheol said he wanted to start his own family. He wanted children, which Jihoon could not give to him. He was truly useless to Seungcheol.

It was Friday and Jihoon was sitting on the floor. Jihoon was about to sleep on the floor when he heard a knock on the door. He wondered who it could be that was at his- no, at Seungcheol’s door. He got up and made his way to open the door. It was Soonyoung and Hansol.

“Hey Ji- holy shit,” said Soonyoung as he looked at Jihoon. “Jihoon, you look like shi-” he wasn’t able to finish his sentence because Hansol had stomped at his foot. “Jihoon, what’s wrong?” asks Hansol as Jihoon wills himself not to cry. “Nothing,” says Jihoon as he tries not to tear up.

“That’s bullshit, what’s wrong?” says Soonyoung as he and Hansol walk into the apartment. Jihoon closes the door behind him as he slowly starts to crumble and tears start to fall. Soonyoung and Hansol share worried looks as they both start to walk Jihoon to the couch.

“No, I can’t,” says Jihoon as he refuses to sit on the couch.

“What?”

“I can’t sit there.”

“Why not?”

“Because it doesn’t belong to me,” says Jihoon. It takes him a while to finally tell them what happened, but when he does, both Hansol and Soonyoung are both fuming.

“The nerve of that guy!” says Soonyoung as he practically shouts.

“It’s not true Jihoon. How can you believe him?” says Hansol.

“No, it’s true. I’ve looked into it, everything he said was true.”

“Seungcheol loves you. If he lied to you, it was probably because he didn’t want you to see your financial situation as a problem in your relationship,” says Soonyoung. They both go back and forth with their arguments but Jihoon doesn’t change his mind. He’s been thinking about this all week. Seungcheol needs someone who he can be seen in public with, not someone who can only show him affection in private.

“No, Seungcheol can’t be taken seriously if they see he’s with me. The board wants him to marry a pretty lady who can give him a family. I can’t do that.”

“But-”

“No, I’ve made up my mind,” says Jihoon as he interrupts Hansol.

“I can’t stay here anymore, I just can’t.”

“Jihoon chill out” says Hansol.

“Even if he was right, which he’s not. But if he was, where will you go. You’re almost finished with your college degree. Jihoon you have no family members alive anymore.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. My school has a study abroad program in America. I was thi-“

“You can’t just leave to another country. That’s’ insa-“

“No, you don’t understand I have to do this. I can’t stay here. Seungcheol will find me. He’ll look for me here. If I go far away then-“

“What’s going to stop us from telling him you’re over there,” says Soonyoung.

“You can’t. Please, I’m begging you. This is between me and his dad.”

“But doesn’t Seungcheol have a say in this?”

“It’s for his own good. Please, you can’t tell him.”

Both Soonyoung and Hansol stay quiet for a moment. This is a lot to handle. They were aware of the tension between Mr. Choi and Jihoon, but they never knew it would lead to this. But Jihoon was right, he needed to go, they couldn’t stop him. He was their friend and he needed their support.

“When will you go?” asks Soonyoung as he starts tearing up. Jihoon was his dear friend. He couldn’t bear his friends leaving him.

“Tomorr-”

“Tomorrow! That’s too soon.” Hansol interjects.

“I’ve already applied to the program. I’m starting next year, but I have to leave now so I can find a job and a place to sta-”

“Wait.” Hansol interjects.

“If you’re really leaving then at least let us help you,” says Hansol.

“With what?” Jihoon asks.

“I have a cousin in LA. His name is Jisoo. He can help you, he owes me one. Let me call him,” says Hansol as Jihoon thinks it through. It would be tough finding a job over there and he does need the help. After a few minutes he finally relents.

“Okay,” he says as Hansol pulls out his phone. He goes out to the porch as he calls Jisoo while Soonyoung and Jihoon wait inside.

“So, will you leave forever,” says Soonyoung.

“I dunno,” says Jihoon as he hugs Soonyoung tightly. Hansol walks back into the room as he puts his phone away.

“Okay, he says he has an apartment and he’s looking for a roommate. He works at a small open mic café where he can get you a job. You can live with him and work with him too. I trust him, so you’ll be okay,” says Hansol as he looks like he wants to cry too. Jihoon walks over to him and gives him a tight hug.

“He says to give him two days, two days only and you can go fly over there on Saturday,” Hansol says as Jihoon nods.

“Wait, what will we tell the others?”

Shit that was right. He still had to say goodbye to the rest of his friends. It’s cruel what he’s doing. He’s telling all his friends, but not Seungcheol. But it’s for his own good.

“I guess I’ll have to tell them,” he says.

“But not here, I can’t stay here anymore,” says Jihoon. Soonyoung offers Jihoon to stay at his place and have a group meeting there. Jihoon accepts and they help him pack his belonging, which are his clothes and his tooth brush. They give him a minute to have a final look before they leave for good.

They’re all in the car as calls are being made and within a few hours, everyone is at Soonyoung’s apartment and they have been caught up with the situation. As expected, the room is filled with outrage and angry protests. But Jihoon has decided already and they can’t do a thing to convince them otherwise.

“You must promise not to utter a word about me. If he asks, you will say you don’t know where I am,” he says as the others agree hesitantly. Dino’s already bawling and the rest are trying their hardest not to cry.

“I’ll be leaving in two days, but its best if we say goodbye now,” says Jihoon as he gives his farewell to his friends.

* * *

The day of departure has come and Jihoon’s heart feels really heavy. He’s said goodbye to his friends. Soonyoung and Hansol are particularly hesitant to let him go.

“Are you sure you want to go? It’s not too late to cancel,” says Hansol.

“Yes, I’m sure. I should go now or I’ll be late,” he says as he gives one last hug to both Soonyoung and Hansol. The taxi arrives and they say their final goodbyes as he climbs onto the car.  He gives his two friends a sad smile as he turns around to look in front of him. As he feels around his pockets, he realizes that he does not have it.

“Um, we need to stop somewhere before we go to the airport,” says Jihoon as they make a turn to go to the apartment.

 “I won’t be long,” says Jihoon once they get to the apartment and he climbs out of the car and into the apartment. Jihoon ascends the stairs to what used to be his home.

“Ah there you are.” It’s Mr. Choi and he’s standing by the door.

“I was wondering whether you already left. By the looks of it, it seems you will,” he says as Jihoon walks past him and enters the apartment. He quickly grabs his passport by the counter as he walks back outside to where Mr. Choi is watching him.

“You seem to be smart after all,” said Mr. Choi as he started to take out an envelope in his pocket.

“Here,” he says as he hands it over to Jihoon.

“It’s enough money to get you going until you find a job at where ever it is your going,” he says as Jihoon retracts from him.

“I don’t want your money,” says Jihoon as he descends down the stairs. He brushes the tears from his face as he spots the car waiting for him. The ride to the airport is long and depressing. There’s an ache in his heart and he can’t control it. He’s doing this for a good reason, so he shouldn’t feel like this, but he does.

“We’re here,” says the taxi driver as Jihoon steps out of the car and into the busy airport.

“Flight 243 is now boarding,” he hears the lady over the telecom say. He’s going to miss this place, but what he’ll miss the most is Seungcheol. He hopes that one day he’ll be able to explain why he left. But right now, he has a plane to catch.

“So long Seoul, I’ll be back someday,” he says as he boards the plane to Los Angeles. 


	3. Mi casa es su casa

Jihoon finds it surreal that this is all happening. Last week he was living with his long time boyfriend, Seungcheol. Last week he was sure he would forever be with Seungcheol, but now, he’s on a plane to LA. He’s looking over the window as he watches the clouds go by. He feels as if he’s leaving himself behind. He can’t go back. He can’t risk Seungcheol’s happiness, his real happiness, not the one he thought he had with Jihoon. There’s not looking back. This is all pretty fucked up.

 

What’s even more fucked up is the fact that the day Seungcheol returns from Japan, marks their fourth year anniversary. Jihoon knows that he’ll be forever hated by him, and honestly who wouldn’t? He’s left no goodbye letter, no explanation for his actions, he’s left absolutely nothing.

 

_It’s all your fault._

 

_You don’t deserve him._

 

_He needs real love, not a secret one._

 

How can Jihoon forgive himself for what he’s doing? How can he come back one day and explain it all to him? How? Well, in a cruel sense, it has to be this way. This is all for Seungcheol, he reminds himself. He’s moving 5,956 miles away just so he can make Seungcheol’s life a more successful one.

 

One where Jihoon is not a problem

 

Jihoon sighs as he feels his heart shatter even further. He’s done enough crying already. He keeps looking out the window, trying to rid himself of these taunting thoughts. Before he realizes it, he’s fallen asleep.

* * *

Jihoon wakes up the voice of one of the flight attendants. _Please grab all of your belongings and exit the plane in an orderly manner._ _Thank you for flying with us and w_ _elcome to LA._ Well, he’s here already, so he’s officially beginning the start to a new life. Jihoon walks out of the plane with a heavy heart. Maybe he’ll have a better chance to forget about Seungcheol here. It seems that the best way to stay out of his life would be to try and forget about him. As hard as forgetting someone he loves may seem, it’s best this way.

 

Jihoon walks into the airport as he looks around. He’s just realized something: he has no idea who this Jisoo guy looks like. He should have asked Hansol for a picture at least. He’s got no service here and Hansol’s probably sleeping since the time zones are different here than in Seoul. There’s no use in asking now. Jihoon sighs for the millionth time as he looks around for no one in particular. Jisoo is supposed to pick him up, but without knowing how each other looks, searching for him would be pointless.

 

He takes a seat by the restrooms as he rushes his ringers through his hair. He’s only been here for a few minutes, but it’s beginning to get scary already

 

“Jihoon?”

 

Jihoon looks up as he hears his name being called. He notices a particularly tall figure who’s staring down at him with a gentle smile. How does this person know me? Jihoon thinks as he gives the stranger an unsure look.

 

“Oh my bad. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Jisoo,” says the person in Korean. Jihoon lets his guard down as he sighs. Looks like he doesn’t have to worry about finding him after all.

 

“Oh sorry, I didn’t know how you looked. Wait, how did you know who I was?” asks Jihoon. Hansol didn’t tell Jihoon whether he had sent a picture of him to Jisoo.

 

“Vernon.” is all Jisoo says.

 

“Vernon?” says Jihoon with a confused face.

 

“Oh, sorry. I usually call Hansol by his nickname, Vernon.”

 

“And lets just say that with Hansol’s description and the fact that you look exactly how I pictured you to be, it wasn’t hard for me to find you,” says Jisoo as his smile doesn’t leave his face.

 

“It was the hair wasn’t it,” says Jihoon as he refers to his bright pink hair.

 

“Yeah, pretty much,” says Jisoo as Jihoon chuckles.

 

“So, are you ready to go?” Jisoo asks as Jihoon nods his head and tries to carry his luggage. It’s not much, but it’s still hard for him to carry.

 

“Let me help you with that,” says Jisoo as he takes one of the suitcases from Jihoon’s hands.

 

“Thank you,” says Jihoon as they begin to walk outside.

 

“Sorry for troubling you.” He hadn’t realized that by accepting Hansol’s offer, he would just be another hassle for someone else.

 

“No, don’t worry about it. When I talked with Hansol, it seemed pretty serious. I’m happy to help. Think of it as my Christian duty,” says Jisoo as Jihoon barley starts to notice the cross earring that Jisoo has. Jisoo guides him to a small red car that’s stationed by the exit of the airport as they put Jihoon’s luggage in the trunk.

 

“He didn’t say why I was coming here, did he?” asks Jihoon as they both get into the car.

 

“No, he just said that you needed a place to stay and a job because of some important personal reasons, but other than that nothing much,” says Jisoo as he starts to drive out of the airport and into the freeway. Jihoon feels as if he should explain himself to Jisoo.

 

“You don’t have to say anything, not now at least,” says Jisoo as his eyes never leave the road ahead. Jihoon nods as he looks out the window and into the various buildings and shops. This was a lot to take in and the fact that Jihoon practically knew no English made it even worse.

 

Jisoo looks at Jihoon’s amazed face while stops at a red light. “It’s a lot to take in, but don’t worry, I‘ll help you,” says Jisoo as the lights turn green and he focuses back on the road.

 

It’s already darkening outside as they reach Jisoo’s complex. It’s not as tall as those in Seoul. Jihoon likes that. It’s pretty dark outside to actually see anything other than the buildings. They head up to Jisoo’s apartment as Jisoo slides in the key.

 

“Well, here we are,” says Jisoo as he closes the door behind Jihoon. Jihoon takes in his surroundings as his eyes go from one corner to another. The place is pretty clean, it seems that he won’t be living with a slob. He’s grateful for that. It’s pretty cozy in here. It’s not extravagant as Seungcheol’s apartment, but Jihoon likes that, anything that doesn’t remind him of Seungcheol is good.

 

“It’s only a one room apartment, so you’ll have to room with me, sorry,” says Jisoo as he opens a door to reveal a bedroom with two twin beds. Again, it’s small but cozy. Jihoon walks in as he sets his bags on the empty bed.

 

“It’s not much, but it’s home. In a way, it’s your home now too” says Jisoo as Jihoon looks outside the window.

 

“Could I use your phone?”asked Jihoon as he feels bad for asking.

 

“Yeah, no go ahead. Mi casa es su casa,” said Jisoo as Jihoon gave him a confused look.

 

“Huh?”

 

“It means my house is your house in Spanish.”

 

“You know Spanish?”

 

“Yeah, some of my friends are Latino. I used to baby sit a Latino boy named Samuel. I learned a little bit of Spanish from the little boy.”

 

“Oh, that’s cool. Do you still baby sit him?” asked Jihoon.

 

“No, he’s about fifteen now. I used to baby sit him when he was like a toddler. I work in an open mike cafe a few blocks away now. That’s where you’ll be working now too,” said Jihoon as he walked into the living room and brought back the house phone.

 

“You still use a house phone?”

 

“These are like dinosaurs,” said Jihoon as Jisoo laughed.

 

“Haha funny, they come in handy sometimes you know,” said Jisoo as he handed the phone to Jihoon and he walked back into the living room.

 

Jihoon dialed Soonyoung’s number as he waited for the other to pick up.

 

“Hello,” answered a groggy voice.

 

“Soonyoung!”

 

“Jihoon, hey you’re there already?” said Soonyoung in an excited voice. He was happy to hear from his close friend.

 

“Yeah, I just got here. Just wanted to let you and the others that I’m fine,” he said as he felt a lump at the back of his throat.

 

“Yeah I’m glad to hear that,” said Soonyoung as he hesitated for a few seconds.

 

“Um Jihoon, Seungcheol came back today and-”

 

“What?! Said Jihoon. He wasn’t supposed to come back so early.

 

“Yeah, he said he wanted to be here early for your anniversary. Jihoon he’s looki-”

 

“No, Soonyoung you can’t tell him where I am. I don’t want to know about him either.”

 

“Are you sure, Jihoon it’s pretty bad I mean he’s looking for you and-”

 

“As far as you know I could be anywhere. Do you understand me?”

 

Truth was Jihoon wanted to speak to Seungcheol, to hear his voice one last time, but he couldn’t because it would make things harder for him.

 

“This is the last time we’re going to hear from you in a long time, isn’t it?” said Soonyoung.

 

“It’s for the best, Soonyoung you know that. Tell the others that I’m ok, but Seungcheol cannot know.”

 

“Yeah, I know. Jeonghan’s heartbroken you know,” says Soonyoung as he tries to change the topic.

 

“He says you and Seungcheol were his otp or whatever he calls it. Truth is we never thought you and Seungcheol would split. You guys were goals! I mean-”

 

“Soonyoung I have to go now,” Jihoon interrupts.

 

“Ok ok, Jihoon don’t wait to long to contact us ok. My number will always be the same and so will everyone elses,” said Soonyoung as they bid goodbye and Jihoon hung up.

 

He walked into the living room as he gave Jisoo the phone back as he said thank you.

 

“No problem, I’ll show you around tomorrow. We should get some rest, but especially you since you have jet lag and all,” says Jisoo as Jihoon nods.

 

“Right, thank you,” says Jihoon. The duo both lay into their own beds. They’re too tired to put on pajamas. Jisoo turns off the lights as he lays on his bed. Jihoon stays silent as he waits for Jisoo to go to sleep. He waits an hour before he sure the other male is asleep.

 

“Jisoo?” Jihoon whispers. No response came. Jihoon lays his bed back on the pillow as he turns to face the wall and he finally lets the tears roll down his cheek as he silently cries. He’s a long way from home. But as Jisoo said, this is his home now.


	4. The Offer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but it's finally here.

_**Four Years Later** _

 

Jihoon opened his eyes slowly as he turned to look the clock on the wall, It read 7:30 am. He slowly arose from his bed as he turned to look at his room mate, Jisoo, who was probably already out of bed. Four years he’s been living with Jisoo, and he still has absolutely no idea how the older is able to rise so early in the morning. Jihoon got off the bed hazily as he made his way to the living room. After four years of endless studying, he would be graduating college in about a few weeks. He was ecstatic and he honestly didn’t want to continue studying. It’s not that he hated school, he just wanted to gt a job and making a living, other than working down at the open mic cafe with Jisoo. Don’t get him wrong, he loved that cafe and he grew fond of all the friends he had made there but he always felt like there was something missing. Of course, in the back of his mind, he always knew what it was, but he had no time to think about it.

 

At this moment, he had his job and his studies to focus on, anything other than that was out of the question.

 

Jihoon walked out into the living room as he spotted Jisoo, who as expected, was already finished with his breakfast. “How do you do it?” asked Jihoon.

 

“Do what?”

 

“Four years, I’ve been living with you, and I still don’t know how you wake up so early,” he said as Jisoo laughed.

 

“That wounds me, I thought we were the best of friends,” said Jisoo as he clutched his heart and fiend heart break. Jihoon rolled his eyes at his room mates antics.

 

“Where are you going?” asked Jihoon as Jisoo grabbed his keys and put his wallet in his pocket.

 

“I have a date today.”

 

“At seven in the morning?” said Jihoon skeptically as he looked up at the clock.

 

“No, but I’ve got a few errands to run before I go. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re jealous,” said Jisoo playfully as Jihoon rolled his eyes.

 

“I’m practically seething,” he joked as Jisoo gave his a quick hug and a kiss on the head. When Jihoon first came to America, there were lots of things he was confused about. One thing was the amount of pda that he saw almost everywhere. It took some time to get used to and so did getting used to how affectionate Jisoo was. At first, he thought Jisoo was too hands on, but the more time he spent with him, the more he realized that, that’s just how Jisoo was. Korea and America were distinctly different in their cultures and customs. It took Jihoon some time to assimilate to the changes, but he did it none the less.

 

“Ok, I’m going to head out already. Don’t miss me too much,” Jisoo said as he was out the door in seconds. Jihoon chuckled as he started eating breakfast. He only had a few classes today before he could come back. He showered quickly and brushed his teeth and within minutes he was out the door and walking up to the bus stop.

 

Classes were boring as usual. Well, he enjoyed going to his last class of the day, Music Composition, which he fared well at, might he add, but the professor hadn’t showed up today, so class was canceled.

 

Jihoon decided to hang out around the campus for a while before he made the trip back to the dorm. It seemed as if he had just walked into the campus just yesterday. He remembered how nervous he felt to enter such a big campus. Of course, his university was no UCLA, but he never really liked huge campuses, he didn’t need to go to a prestigious school just so he could study music. Jihoon was a firm believer that no matter what college someone went to, no matter what rank it was, what mattered was what you accomplished there.

 

Jihoon walked through the court yard as he found a place to eat next to the food court. Maybe he could start ahead and finish some work so he wouldn’t have to do all of it at the dorm? He took out his journal and-

 

“Hey, Woozi!” Well, so much for having some work done. Jihoon sighed as he looked up to the figure of his friend, Baekho, approaching.

 

“How many times have I told you not to call me Woozi?!” says Jihoon as he frowns at the nickname.

 

“Aww but it suits you,” replied Baekho as he took a seat next to Jihoon.

 

“What are you doing?” asked Baekho.

 

“Well, I was going to start on my project, but then you came along and-”

 

“Saved you from boredom,” he cut in as Jihoon rolled his eyes. Sometimes he questions the friends that he makes. He has no idea how he ended up befriending Baekho and-

 

“Hey, Woozi! Baekho, I was wondering where you went off to,” said Aron, yet another friend of theirs.

 

“I saw Woozi here so I came to rescue him from his boredom.”

 

“I was not bored!” said Jihoon as Aron took a seat next to them.

 

“What were you going to do before he came?” asked Aron

 

“Finish my project.”

 

“Yup boredom,” said Aron as he agreed with Baekho who looked to smug for Jihoon’s liking.

 

“Yeah, yeah whatever,” said Jihoon as he put away his journal.

 

“You and Jisoo should come over and sleep over at out apartment again.” Oh, no. Jihoon was not having that. The last time he had slept over, all three of them had managed to take a picture of Jihoon while he slept. Yeah, that wasn’t happening again.

 

“Yeah, no. I know you creeps still have that picture of me sleeping!” said Jihoon as glared at them accusingly.

 

“Aww come one, you just looked so cute, we couldn’t resist,” they both said as Jihoon just rolled his eyes as they laughed.

 

After a few hours of just talking, both Baekho and Aron had their last class to attend to as they both bid Jihoon goodbye and went their way. Jihoon took the bus back to his shared flat with Jisoo as he thought about what he was going to do after he graduated college. Obviously, looking for a job was important, but Jihoon wasn’t quite ready to let go of his job at the open mic cafe. He sighed as he walked into the dorm. He had to finish his last assignment for his final grade as he walked into his room. He dropped his back pack on his bed as he took a seat by his small desk and began working on his composition.

 

When Jihoon first came to the states, he only knew a very small amount of English, so he worried about how he was going to be able to go to college in the US but thankfully Jisoo was nice enough to help him out. He swears Jisoo is his life saver. If it weren’t for him, Jihoon would have probably dropped out of college. English was a particularly difficult subject. He still has no idea how to words like cough and tough could not rhyme, when words like lonely and bologna did. It was insane!

 

Jihoon had lost track of time as he continued to work on his composition. He didn’t hear when Jisoo had opened the front door, which created quite a scare when Jisoo had opened the door to their shared room.

 

“Hey, Ji,” said Jisoo as he sported a frown and sat down on his bed.

 

“Hey, what’s got you down?” asked Jihoon as he set down his pen and turned to face Jisoo.

 

Jisoo sighed for a moment as he lied down on his bed. “My date,” is all he said as he heaved a sigh.

 

“It didn’t go well?”

 

“Not at all. You know how I believe in no sex before marriage, right?” asked Jisoo as he sat up.

 

“Yeah.” Jihoon wasn’t really aware of the christian religion before he met Jisoo. Of course, Hansol, his old friend from Korea was christian as well, but Jihoon never really asked about the religion, but now that he had moved in with a christian roommate, he had learned quite a lot. At first, Jihoon thought Jisoo was going to hate him because Jihoon was gay, but surprisingly Jisoo was rather accepting of who Jihoon choose to be with. Jihoon was relieved because he believed Christian hated homosexual people. But no, Jisoo wasn’t like that.

 

“Well,” began Jisoo as he pulled Jihoon out of his thoughts.

 

“She knew how I felt about that, but she still tried to get inside my pants!” he said with a frustrated sigh.

 

“It’s going to be hard finding someone to date if they’re all like that!” he said as Jihoon laughed.

 

“What’s got you laughing?” asked Jisoo as he continued to frown.

 

“You just reminded me of a friend I had in Korea,” replied Jihoon.

 

“I should meet her then.”

 

“It’s actually a he.”

 

“Then I should meet him, then,” said Jisoo as Jihoon began to reminisce. He started to feel a pang in his chest as he was reminded of his friends he had left in Korea. It had been years since he had communicated with any of them. Of course, in the beginning, he had called every week to see how they were doing, but he had started college soon and seeing as how Korea and The US were in different time zones, his calls were soon delayed and then they stopped all together. He was sad about that, it had been alt least two years since he had contacted his friends. Had they all forgotten about him. He wondered how Seungc-

 

“You know, if my mom hadn’t practically adopted you into the family, I think we would have made quite a good couple,” joked Jisoo as both he and Jihoon started to laugh.

 

“Anyway, what are you working on?” asked Jisoo as he stood over Jihoon and peered over his work.

 

“I’m just trying to finish my last assignment before graduation,” said Jihoon as he sighed. He was almost finished.

 

“Oh, I see. Yeah, I have to finish my project too”

 

“And instead you’re going out and having fun, huh,” said Jihoon with an accusing stare.

 

“I’m almost done with it, so I decided to take a break. One, might I add, that I haven’t seen you take in all these past four years that I’ve known you,” shot back Jisoo.

 

Jihoon sighed as he knew this was coming. “I’ve hung out with you tons of times.”

 

Jisoo rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t count. I mean like on dates, you know. All I’ve seen you do is study, work, and more study. I practically have to drag you outside of the flat.”

 

“Dating really isn’t something I want to do right now,” said Jihoon as he shrugged. He ever really got to tell Jisoo the reason why he had moved all the way over here. Thankfully, Jisoo never pried him to talk. He would have to at some point though because he gotten quite close to the older boy, and he supposes telling him is the least he can do.

 

“What are we going to do after we graduate?” asked Jisoo as he snapped Jihoon out of his thoughts again.

 

“Uh, I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure it out.”

 

“You know, I’m thinking since I’m going to take over the open mike cafe, we could become business partners. We have a small studio in the back and you can create your own music while we both run the cafe.” Jihoon liked that idea. He loved working there and he doesn’t really want to go back and live in Seoul, not when the stakes are high for Seungc- He doesn’t want to think about it right now. He was able to go four years without thinking about it, so he can do it some more.

 

“Earth to Jihoon,” he hears Jisoo says as he sees a hand waving in front of him.

 

“Yeah, what’s up?”

 

“Nothing you just spaced out. You don’t have to make up your mind right now, you can get back to me latter,” said Jisoo as he stood up and stretched.

 

“Ok, thanks.”

 

Jihoon wondered for a bit. He missed Seoul, and if he took Jisoo’s offer, he would have a permanent stay here. He would be able to be a part owner of an open mike cafe, something that he liked to do, and producing music on the sidelines would be a bonus. Who knows, if he saved up enough money, he could call over his friends from Seoul and have them visit him. It would be a great opportunity.

 

Maybe he will accept his offer.


	5. Finally letting go

Graduation was almost here. Finally after four years of constant stress and lack of proper sleep, Jihoon, along with Jisoo of course, would finally be saying goodbye to all those stressful situations. No more late nights, no more stress crying, and most importantly no more school. Jihoon was glad, no actually, he was ecstatic. He could finally get his break, lord knows he needed one. Jihoon chuckled at that thought, he was beginning to sound like Jisoo. And speaking of Jisoo

 

“What are we going to do after this?” asks Jisoo as he watches Jihoon dye his hair. Jihoon was beginning to get sick of his pink hair. Every year, he dyed it the same color, so he decided to get rid of it. Graduation was tomorrow, and he wanted to switch things up. So he was going to dye his hair blond.

 

“After what?” asked Jihoon as he put the dye on his hair. Jisoo would ask if he needs help, but he’s terrible at dying hair. He doesn’t want Jihoon to look bad, so he settles with sitting on one of the chairs besides Jihoon as he watches the younger male.

 

“After graduation,” answers Jisoo. Graduation was tomorrow, and for once, they had no more assignments, so they stayed in and relaxed until the big day. It hasn’t been like this since they had started their last year in college.

 

“I don’t know.” Jihoon truly doesn’t know, all he’s ever known was school. Back in Seoul and over here in the states, he always studied to get himself a good career, one in the music business to start. He had already accepted Jisoo’s business partner ship offer, but what was to come of it in the future was beyond their hands.

 

“I mean, what are we going to do for fun? You know, every summer, when our term ends, we always stay here and just work at the Cafe. I want to do something different this time.”

 

“Something different like what?” asks Jihoon as he turn to face Jisoo, waiting until he could rinse his hair.

 

“I was thinking, we should go somewhere. And I don’t mean anywhere here, we’ve spent a lot of time here, but somewhere else.”

 

Jihoon thinks for a moment. He’s stayed here for the whole four years. The last time he and Jisoo had gone anywhere, it was to some forest for camping, and judging by the amount of bug bites they had afterward, it didn’t go so well.

 

“We don’t have to go camping again,” says Jisoo as if he read Jihoon’s thoughts.

 

“Plus, my mom says that she’ll give us the summer off, since after summer we’ll pretty much be owning the whole establishment,” said Jisoo with a hint of excitement.

 

“Ok, but where too?” replies Jihoon. He would like to travel as well.

 

“Where would you like to go?” asks Jihoon. He’s saved up a bit of money, so he supposes he can afford one trip.

 

“Well, I’ve never been to Korea,” says Jisoo as Jihoon’s heart drops. Out of all the places, Jisoo picks Korea.

 

He pushes that thought behind as he continues with the conversation. “Never?” asks Jihoon incredulously.

 

“Yeah, never. I mean, I speak and write Korean pretty well, but I’ve never once visited Korea,” says Jisoo as Jihoon gets up to wash his hair.

 

He looks at the pull down faucet he has, he usually has someone from the salon dye his hair. He’s not too confident about dying his own hair because he’s always afraid he’ll mess it up, but he can’t go to a salon today. He’s almost running out of money and pay day isn’t until next week, so he supposed he had to do it himself. The only problem now was that for some unknown reason, Jihoon had decided to dye his hair in the kitchen sink. Rinsing his hair would be hard.

 

“Uh, Josh,” says Jihoon as he addresses Jisoo by his nick name. He only ever uses it when he’s embarrassed to ask for help.

 

Jisoo chuckles as he gets up from his seat. “You don’t even have to ask, I can sense your despair,” he said jokingly as he walks over to Jihoon. Jihoon puts his head over the sink as Jisoo takes the pull down faucet and begins to bury his fingers in Jihoon’s hair. Jihoon thinks for a while as the dye starts to come out of his hair. He hasn’t been to Korea in a long time. Maybe he can come back? Maybe he could just show Jisoo around for a few days, meet up with his old friends, and leave after a week. ‘ _It doesn’t sound so bad’_ thinks Jihoon as he internally agrees with going.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me before? We could have gone last year during summer break,” speaks Jihoon as he sighs comfortably. The way Jisoo’s fingers move over his scalp reminds him of a certain someone, but Jihoon wills those thoughts out of his head.

 

“We still had to work at the Cafe during the summer, so I figured we should wait until after graduation, and tomorrow is graduation so why not bring it up.”

 

“There all done,” said Jisoo as he handed Jihoon a towel. Jihoon dried his hair as fast as he could, eager to see how the change in look would suit him.

 

“Not bad,” said Jisoo as he looked at Jihoon.

 

“Before, you looked absolute adorable and cute,” said Jisoo as Jihoon rolled his eyes. He was not cute, he liked to think of himself as handsome.

 

“But now you look…. I don’t know...Hot” said Jisoo. Jihoon raised his eyebrow at the others remark.

 

“Are you hitting one me?” asked Jihoon as it was now Jisoo’s turn to roll his eyes.

 

“You wish,” he said as they continued their playful banter. Jihoon laughed as he walked over to the bathroom mirror to inspect himself. Jisoo wasn’t wrong, Jihoon looked quite different, there was something about his new appearance that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It wasn’t a complete transformation, but he still looked different. He had grown his hair a little bit longer and it fit in with the new look. He liked it.

 

“The guys are thinking about throwing a graduation party after the graduation ceremony,” said Jisoo as he stood by the door frame watching as Jihoon took in his new appearance.

 

“And by guys you mean Aron an-”

 

“And Baekho, yes” interjected Jisoo. There was a reason he kept their names out. After their last slumber party, Jihoon wasn’t exactly excited to go to another hang out.

 

“So?”

 

“What kind of party?” asked Jihoon.

 

“It’s nothing grand. The Cafe is going to be closed tonight.”

 

“Ah, so this was your idea too,” said Jihoon as he combed his now dry hair.

 

“No, they wanted to make a graduation party and they had no place to do it. Their dorm is too small and I doubt we would want them to host it at our tiny flat, so I offered to have it here. It’s just a few of our friends,” said Jisoo as Jihoon finished combing his hair.

 

“I don’t know,” said Jihoon as they both walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.

 

“Oh come on, I promise they won’t take pictures of you without your permission. It’s time to get out there, even if it’s just once,” said Jisoo as he tried his best to pull off a puppy dog look.

 

Jihoon internally sighed. He knew Jisoo was not going to stop until he got what he wanted. But he could still try. Looks like he was going to have pull the ‘Josh card’ as Jisoo liked to call.

 

“Josh,” whined Jihoon.

 

“Oh no, don’t Josh me,” said Jisoo.. Pulling the ‘Josh card’ would not work, not this time.

 

Jihoon sighed as he gave up.

 

“Yes!” said Jisoo as he looked proud of himself.

 

“Wait,” said Jihoon as he thought of an idea.

 

“What?”

 

“I’ll go if you dye your hair,” said Jihoon with a smirk. Not once has he ever seen Jisoo with colored hair. Not once! If Jihoon had to go to the party, then Jisoo would dye his hair. Of course, Jihoon wouldn’t force the older to do something he didn’t want to. He had experience in that field and he didn’t want that to happen to Jisoo. Even if it was something as simple as hair dying. He would sill go whether or not Jisoo agreed to it.

 

Jihoon waited for Jisoo’s rejection as he turned on the tv. “Okay.”

 

Jihoon eyes widened in surprise. “What?” he said not believing what he heard.

 

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

 

“Are you serious. I was just joking.”

 

“I feel like it’s time for a change, you know?” began Jisoo as Jihoon payed attention to him.

 

“I mean, if I dye my hair, it’ll be like a new me.”

 

Jihoon stood silent for a while. He had never thought about it like that. When he was in Korea, he had always had his hair pink, ever since high school. Maybe that’s why Jihoon felt so different because while it seemed silly, the color of his chair had changed who he was. Jihoon already believed he had changed completely these past four years he’s been in LA. It was unenviable not to change if one wanted to assimilate to a new society.

 

Maybe this new change was good for forgetting. Every time he looked in the mirror and he saw his bright pink hair, he would remember all those memories from his time back home. Like the first time he had gotten his hair dyed and Seungcheol was at a loss for words. ‘An even cuter Jihoonie’ Seungcheol would call the other. Or ho- he willed those thoughts away again. Now that he’s changed the only thing that constantly reminded him of home, it reminded Jihoon that this was it. Maybe he was finally letting go.

 

“I’ve always like the color rose gold,” said Jisoo as he brought Jihoon out of his thoughts.

 

“I can dye it rose gold!”

 

“You would look nice in that color,” said Jihoon as he tried to imagine Jisoo’s hair dyed rose gold.

 

“Are _you_ hitting on _me?”_ joked Jisoo as Jihoon rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, you wish,” he joked along as he began to flip through various channels.

 

“No, but seriously, I think I would want to color it rose gold.”

 

“Okay, then rose gold it is,” said Jihoon as Jisoo smiled excitedly.

 

Jihoon laughed as he shook his head in amusement. Jisoo might be known as a gentle men to some people, but oh no, Jihoon knew Jisoo resembled a child in a candy store when he was excited about something. He resembled Seungcheol back in high school.

 

Jihoon remembers the time in high school when Seungcheol had asked him out. Seungcheol was so nervous, and Jihoon knew all along what Seungcheol was going to do, but he let Seungcheol believe he had surprised Jihoon. Jihoon had to try his best to act surprised when Seungcheol asked him out one day near the park they both liked going to. He never told Seungcheol that he knew about his plan back in high school, not even until this day.

 

Jihoon’s heart sank as he realized he was once again reminiscing on the past. It’s been so long since he had thought of Seungcheol. Why is he thinking about him now? Wasn’t he finally letting go?

 

Jihoon internally sighed. Maybe letting go doesn’t always mean forgetting.


	6. Reminisce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update but here it is!

Today was the day. Today was graduation. Jihoon was excited. Today he would say goodbye to all those studious days, all those headaches because of stress.

 

Jihoon sat on one of the chairs in the grass waiting for his name to be called up. They were under the sweltering sun and for once Jihoon thanked the heavens that having a cap and gown was necessary. The cap was the only thing that was protecting his face from the son.

 

“ _Joshua Hong Jisoo,”_ Jihoon hears the dean call up. A crowd of people cheer Jisoo along. Jihoon can make out Jisoo’s mom out of the crowd. Jihoon along with his other friends Baekho and Aron instantly cheer Jisoo on as well. Jihoon watches as Jisoo chuckles. Jisoo, with his newly dyed rose gold hair, walks across the stage to retrieve his diploma and Jihoon smiles at him encouragingly.

 

And once Jisoo sits down, Jihoon hears it.

 

“ _Lee Jihoon.”_ and he hears a loud cheers come from various places. Of course, during his time at the Universty, Jihoon had made plenty of friends so of course he would hear them all cheer for him, but what really got him was watching as Jisoo’s mom cheered him on just as loudly as she had cheered on Jisoo, her own soon. Jihoon felt a rush of affection for her. She treated him like her own child and he felt truly grateful for that. Jihoon looked over the crowd as he made his way across the stage and he made eye contact with Jisoo who was cheering on loudly along with his both Aron and Baekho. Jisoo gave him a thumbs up and Jihoon smiled and nodded as he received his diploma from the dean of the University.

 

Today he had reached another milestone in his life: Graduating University. Jihoon would have preferred his friends from back home, his mom who he hasn’t contacted in such a long time to be here too, but as the situation was presented at hand, he couldn’t. He didn’t have a choice, but to go along without them. And so he did.

 

Hours later the ceremony had come to and end, closing it with a traditional throwing of the caps and Jihoon felt relieved. It was all officially over. Now he and Jisoo were to move on and become business partners and run the open mike cafe.

 

“Oh look at you both. You’ve grown up so fast,” says Mrs. Hong as both Jihoon and Jisoo walk aroun the crowd, saying their goodbyes to their professors and some friends they know they’ll probably never see again.

 

“I’ve only been here for four years, Mrs. Hong.”

 

“Oh shush, son. And how many times have I said to just call me mom,” replied Mrs. Hong as he hugs both Jisoo and Jihoon tightly.

* * *

They all head home after the ceremony, Mrs. Hong retreats to her home but not after warning the boys about being too wild.

 

“Now you behave boys, don’t make a mess. Now you remember after summer ends, this establishment is now yours to run,” she says as he gets emotional.

 

“Don’t worry mom, we know how much this shop means to you,” says Jisoo as he hugs her tightly.

“Yeah, Mrs. Hong, Jihoon and Josh are really reasonably so if we try anything they’ll knock us in our place,” replies Baekho with a dazzling smile.

 

“Right,” says Aron sarcastically. Jisoo may be a church boy, but what went on behind closed walls was something that would have his poor mom praying for years. Not to say that Jisoo wasn’t responsible. He was but he had his moments. They all did.

 

“All right you boys have fun then,” she said as he smiled at them and drove home.

 

“ALL RIGHT LETS GET THIS SHIT STARTED!” of course the moment wouldn’t stay peaceful at all with friends like Aron and Baekho. Within minutes some of their friends had come marching into the cafe, turning the once quite shop into a bustling cafe filled with drinks and music bustling through the walls. For once Jihoon didn’t mind. It was time to get loose a bit.

 

“Hey Jihoon want a drink?” Jihoon heard someone ask. Jihoon shook his head as he raised his hand to show them that he already had a drink in his hand. As the party when on, Jihoon made small talk with many of the friends he had made over they years in college. Jihoon listened intently as his friends explained their next steps after Uni and before Jihoon knew it he was being dragged to the dance floor. Oh, no this was not happening. Jihoon wasn’t a good dancer.

 

“Baekho, I can’t dance,” he whined as Baekho payed no mind to him and continued to drag him further through the many bodies that were dancing close together.

 

“I call bullshit. Remember in third year when we had to put on a performance for our dance class?” Jihoon nodded.

 

“If you remember it as clearly as I do, then yes you can dance.” Before he knew it Baekho had latched their hands together. Baekho was not about to let Jihoon leave.

 

“Come on, you have to have fun at some point. It’s always been school and work with you. Well, now school is over and you don’t work over the summer so no more excuses.”

 

“You’re lucky you’re my friend,” says Jihoon as Baekho laughs and they begin to dance.

 

Jihoon allowed himself to get lost in the music as he sung along to some songs he had recognized. “So do you know what you’re going to do for the summer?!” yells Baekho through the loud music.

 

Oh right. Jihoon hasn’t told them he was going to Korea. Hell, he hasn’t even told Jisoo they were going either.

 

“Korea,” yell Jihoon back. The dance floor is beginning to get more packed and it’s starting to get a bit too uncomfortable for Jihoon.

 

“What?!” Baekho didn’t quite catch that.

 

“KOREA,” he says louder than the first time. The music starts to get a bit slower now and Jihoon spots Jisoo also dancing as well.

 

“It’s been four years since you came from Korea. Not once have you talked about it. Why are you going now?” asks Baekho and Jihoon shrugs.

 

“I guess it’s time for me to visit.”

 

* * *

The hours roll by and finally the party ends. Jihoon had fun but he was tired and he just wanted to get to his bed and go to sleep. He wasn’t absolutely smashed but he was a bit tipsy. Jihoon sits down on the curb outside the shop as he watches Jisoo say goodbye to the last of their friends.

 

“Well, that was fun,” he says as he sits next to Jihoon. It’s a bit cold outside but he doesn’t mind

 

“And not one picture of you was taken, well a sleeping picture,” continues Jisoo as Jihoon rolls his eyes and smiles.

 

“It was fun.”

 

They sit there in a silence for a few seconds before Jihoon speaks up. “Hey, Josh.” Jisoo looks towards Jihoon in a questioning glance.

 

“Let’s go,” says Jihoon.

 

“Oh yeah okay. I guess we can clean up later. Let me just lock up the shop before we go” he says but he seems to misunderstand what Jihoon is trying to say.

 

Jisoo gets up and makes a move to go into the shop, but Jihoon takes a hold of the older males sleeve before he can take a step further. “No, no I don’t mean that. I mean, let’s go. You know, to Korea. Like how we talked about yesterday.”

 

Jisoo looks down at Jihoon in mild shock. “Really?”

 

“Yeah, really. Why?” What’s with people and questioning his decision in visiting what used to be his home again.

 

“You don’t want to go anymore?” asks Jihoon. Jisoo sits down next to Jihoon on the curb.

 

Jisoo shakes his head quickly. “No no, it’s just you seemed a bit hesitant when we brought it up yesterday. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was a good idea. I mean, you never really talked about it, but I feel like something happened back there that you just can’t let go.”

 

Jihoon sighs as he looks away from Jisoo and looks around the quiet streets of LA. They lived in what some people considered the ghetto. Downtown LA to be exact. Some buildings were covered in graffiti but not all of it was bad. Jihoon liked to see the murals over on sixth street when he would make the commute to his University because they were absolutely beautful. Of course, there were people you met on the street were a bit questionable. At first, coming here had scared Jihoon out of his wits. Yes there were gangs but he had gotten used to it. It turns out, no one messed with Jisoo’s family because everyone knew them to be good people. Jihoon remembers his first thanksgiving with Jisoo and his mom they had spent their day giving out thanksgiving meals to the homeless and they had made it a tradition to do so for the past four years. Jihoon absolutely loved it.

 

“Jihoon?” says Jisoo as he brings Jihoon out of his thoughts.

 

“Uh, what were we talking about?”

 

“Why you’re choosing to go to Korea now.”

 

Oh right. That. He supposes it’s time to talk about it.

 

“Do you remember when I first came here to LA?” asks Jihoon. Jisoo nods.

 

“It happened shortly after that day-”

 

“If you don’t want to talk about it it’s ok,” said Jisoo.

 

“No, you’ve done so much for me that the least I can do is to explain this to you,” Jihoon says as he takes a deep breath.

 

Jisoo nods. “Ok.”

 

“Well, if I want to tell you all of it, I guess I’ll have to go beyond that day. When I was in elementary school, I had always been interested in music. I could play so many instruments at such an early age and I fell in love with making melodies and singing. There was this one day in 3rd. grade and my class was talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. While everyone said they wanted to be astronauts, police officers, nurses, and what not I said that I wanted to become a composer. That I wanted to write music. I thought that what I wanted to do was cool and meaningful but everyone in my class laughed. Everyone. I felt awful, like I was some sort of joke. A loser. At that time, we had a sort of buddy system with a class that was 2 years older then us. Every third grade class had one older TA from the fifth grade class and ours was this boy named Choi Seungcheol. Well, when everyone was laughing at me for my choice in career, Seungcheol was the only one who backed me up.” Jihoon smiled fondly at the memory. Jihoon could feel himself becoming sober.

 

“He didn’t make me feel like a complete fool and he scolded everyone else for making fun of me. I remember that during recess, instead of eating with his friends, he had sat on my table and he told me that when he grew up, he wanted to own a record company. He said that maybe one day, we could work together. I was too young to understand what that was, but I knew he was going to grow up to be a successful person. While everyone wanted to be pop stars, actors, and astronauts he wanted to be someone with a more powerful position. Someone who would have power of them. And I knew he would get to it. After that day, we became very close. We were best friends in high school, but it soon turned out to be more then that. I started to develop feelings for him in my freshman year and he did too. So we went out together not knowing if we would make it after graduation, but we did and fell completely in love. We were what everyone called ‘high school sweethearts’ One day, He introduced me to his parents but… but,” Jihoon stopped talking for a few seconds. The painful feelings were coming back.

 

“Hey, it’s okay. Just breathe” said Jisoo as he held Jihoon’s hand for reassurance.

 

Jihoon took a few seconds before he continued to speak. “But his parents didn’t approve. I had known his parents well before that. We were best friends after all, so we had gone to each others’ houses quite often, but whenhwe told his parents that he was gay and that we were together, well his parents didn’t take it too well. His father was the worst. He blamed me for ‘turning his son’ as he called it. He called me so many hurtful names, Josh. It ripped me apart completely. I was this disgusting freak who ruined his son. I was this vile being who had turned Seungcheol into a disappointment.” Jihoon let a few tears roll down his cheeks but he willed himself to stop crying. He was completely sober now.

 

“T-taking into consideration that Korea is very much a conservative country, he told me how I would ruin Seungcheol’s life because people would hate and bash us. I could feel myself breaking, Josh. I-I Could feel it. Seungcheol had always cared about what his father thought about him, but on that day, there he was, arguing with his father about how much he loved me and how much he would stick by my side no matter what. I-I swear that on that day that I could marry him then and there. Before we both knew it, his father had given up and had accepted us and Seungcheol was happy and so was I, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Seungcheol couldn’t see it but his father loathed me. He despised me. I was like dirt to him. I didn’t have the heart to tell Seungcheol because he was so happy that he could be with me.” Jihoon could feel Jisoo’s hand tighten around his.

 

“But, I was happy too because I really did love him. And Seungcheol was training to take over his father’s legacy, So I endured it. For us. For him. I did my best to turn a blind eye to the hate. And we managed to move in together and we were happy, but his training came to an end and he had to go to a meeting and I was so happy for him that when he left to Japan, I couldn’t wait to see him again. But then, his father, Mr Choi, he had come in and well he told me things I couldn’t deny. Josh, I-I was ruining Seungcheol. I was pulling him back. _I_ would be the reason that he wouldn’t be taken seriously. He needs someone who could give him a family. He needs someone who won’t bring some much controversy into his life.” Jihoon a few deep breaths before he continued.

 

“And… I didn’t know it, but I was taking advantage of him. He was paying for everything in the house. The rent, food, and even for my university. I always wondered why attending one of the most prestigious Universities in Korea had cost me half of what others had to pay, but after that talk with Mr. Choi I had realized that Seungcheol had been paying for half of the tuition. I was using him! Me! I loved him. I-”

 

“Jihoon,” Jisoo intervened.

 

 

“You weren’t using him. He did this not because you asked but because he wanted t make things easier on you,” Jisoo tried to reason, but Jihoon was having none of it.

 

“No, you don’t understand. I tried so hard to prove Mr. Choi wrong, but all along I was proving him right. I was a setback. I couldn’t do that to him. I didn’t want him for his money. He could be poor and I would still have been with him. But after all that, that was the last straw for me to believe in what Mr Choi had been saying all along. So I left. I left the day of our anniversary. I packed my things, I left no explanation. I made all my friends swear that they wouldn’t tell him anything. And even if they, did they didn’t know exactly where I was, so it would not have worked out anyway. But I left. I couldn’t stay there anymore, I just couldn’t and with the help of Soonyoung, Hansol and you I left. And four years later, well here I am.” Jihoon wasn’t even trying to hold back the tears now. He tried but the story was too painful for him to hold back.

 

“But Jihoon, if Seungcheol had did all of that, it was because he lov-”

 

“No Jisoo. Mr. Choi was right, I was holding him back. Who am I to take away Seungcheol’s life long dream? I’m no one. I couldn’t do that to him.”

 

Jisoo nodded. He understood where Jihoon was coming from but he couldn’t help but think that this could have been talked about.

 

“Then why go back?” asked Jisoo.

 

“Why after all these years, you want to go back. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?” he asked.

 

“Well, I just wanted to see everyone one last time. After that, I’m staying here in LA for good. We have a business to run now,” said Jihoon as he looked back at the shop behind him.

 

“I’m not going to see him. It would make waste of everything that I did or him. But I’m going to see my friends and my mom. Plus, I want to show you around, you’ve never seen Korea so I thought this would be the best chance to do so. After that we’ll come back here and it’ll be a new start.”

 

Jisoo nodded as he stayed silent for a while. This was quite a lot to take in. “I’m sorry,” said Jisoo as he hugged the younger male.

 

“All these years I’ve known you, and I never knew you were going through so much pain.” Jihoon smiled a bit and hugged him back.

 

“It’s ok. But now you know. In a way, talking about is making me feel better” asked Jihoon as he pulled back form the hug.

 

Jisoo smiled back at Jihoon and ruffled the younger male’s hair. “Ok, let’s do it.” And with that the two boys got up and cleaned up the shop. After they had finished, Jisoo had bid Jihoon goodnight and headed to his bed while Jihoon had gone online and booked two tickets to Korea 2 weeks from now. Jihoon sighed as he looked at the date and headed to bed.

 

He was going home.


End file.
